"YOU COULD GROW ASPARAGUS IN IT", SAYS MISSION SCIENTIST

Martian soil analyzed by NASA's Phoenix lander could likely support plant life under the right conditions, scientists said Thursday.

"We basically have found what appears to be the nutrients to support life," said Samuel Kounaves, lead scientist for the wet chemistry lab from Tufts University.

Kounaves said the experiment, which adds water to create a muddy mixture with the Martian soil, found magnesium, sodium, potassium and chloride in a sample retrieved from about one inch under the planet's surface…